CXXvi PROCEEDINGS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
The same essayist, after describing the general characteristics of 
the oak, adds the following bit of local colour:—“I live very near the 
last oak of Birnam wood, and so I can say what I have observed in 
it. This enormous tree is said to have been one of the oak trees of 
Birnam Wood when Macduff and his army passed through that 
wood. If so, it must be at least about 900 years old. Its girth is 
about 27 feet, and the spread of its branches is very great, I should 
say about 300 feet in a circle. The bark is furrowed deeply, and very 
rough. The branches would each form a tree of no mean proportions, 
for their girth extends from three to four feet, and they go out from the 
tree horizontally. Hence the weight of the branches is much greater 
than if they went upwards, and, in consequence of this, the tree 
requires a great girth to support these enormous limbs.” In speaking 
of the ash, he refers to an ash tree which used to grow at the entrance 
to the Strathbraan Road, but was blown down during the last equinoc¬ 
tial gale. Regarding this specimen, he says :—“ I counted its age by 
the rings, and found it to be about 160 years old. From this I con¬ 
cluded that the ash is of rapid growth, and attains a good height in a 
short time. The branches of the ash are thick, and have a general 
upward direction. Hence the trunk does not require to be of great 
size. The fact that the branches grow upwards indicates that the 
tree reaches a good height.” 
I should mention that the essay from which these last quotations 
are made, and which shows a remarkable amount of originality through¬ 
out, is by James Hutton, Birnam, who gained the medal for his essay 
on birds in 1900. 
ENDOWMENT OF MUSEUM. 
I come now, in the last place, to speak of our Museum. The 
educational value of the Museum, under the direction of a skilled 
Curator, has become more evident, and more widely recognised, each 
year. The question which we now have to ask ourselves is, are we to 
allow its career of usefulness to be brought to a close for want of 
adequate support ? I may remind you of the position in which the 
matter stands at the present time. Experience has proved that the 
amount required to keep up the Museum in a thoroughly efficient 
manner is ^300 a year. Towards this amount the Society is unable 
to make any contribution, as the whole of its income, amounting to 
about ^Cioo, is required to meet its ordinary expenses, including 
printing, upkeep of library, etc. In those circumstances, the Society 
resolved, on 18th August, 1896, to offer the Museum as a free gift to 
the City, to be administered, along with the Sandeman Library, under 
the Free Libraries Act. At that time, however, the Town Council 
did not see their way to accept this responsibility, and, therefore, a 
Guarantee Lund was raised, sufficient to maintain the Museum in full 
efficiency for a period of five years. Four of these have now elapsed 
and we shall soon be face to face with the problem again. I do not 
think it will be practicable to continue the Guarantee Fund indefinitely 
from year to year, but at the same time I feel certain that it is the 
determination of all interested that the Museum shall not be permitted 
